Man Admits Instigating Beating Of Joshua Stern

The man who instigated teenager Joshua Stern's near-fatal beating pleaded guilty on Monday to the gang-style attack in a deal that will free him from jail within two months.

Roberto Molina, 28, had been set to go to trial later this month for the June 5, 1999, attack after rejecting a plea offer from prosecutors that called for him to spend 11 years in prison.

But at the Stern family's request, the State Attorney's Office approved an agreement proposed by Molina's attorney that called for Molina to serve a year in jail followed by two years on house arrest and an additional 10 years' probation. Molina also is required to pay the Sterns $50,000 in restitution.

Since Molina already has spent more than 10 months in jail, he could be eligible for release within the next two weeks, said Orlando Gonzalez, his attorney.

Joshua Stern, who appeared in court on Monday for the first time, said he wants to put the beating behind him. A group of people attacked Stern, then 15, outside a Loxahatchee graduation party and left him with massive head injuries, punctured lungs, a broken nose, a broken jaw and three fractured vertebra.

"I was a stupid kid and made the wrong choices and look at how I paid," said Stern, 17, after the court hearing. "They [the attackers] made the wrong choices, too, and now they're paying. I'm happy to get some closure."

Even with Molina pleading guilty to a count of aggravated battery, as had four defendants before him, the high-profile case is far from over. One of the other defendants, David Branda, could be sentenced to up to four years in prison on Friday for slamming a rock on Stern during the attack.

In addition, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested another man last month in the beating and have issued arrest warrants for two other men.

Robert Cantu, 24, was arrested Jan. 23 on charges of aggravated battery, robbery and kidnapping after three of the defendants who took plea deals said he was involved in the beating. He now is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.

Witnesses said Cantu hit Stern and took off his pants during the beating and also bragged about it later that night, according to court documents.

The attack came after Molina gave $650 to James McHugh, then 16, to buy marijuana. McHugh then gave the money to Stern, who kept the cash but never produced the drugs, according to court documents.

Several weeks later, McHugh saw Stern at the party and called Molina, court records state. Molina and a group of men came to the party, dragged the intoxicated Stern out of it and beat him as a dozen partygoers watched.

With his plea on Monday, Molina admitted hitting Stern once during the attack.

Molina did not offer any apology before Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Kenneth Marra approved the deal. Stern and his family also didn't speak at the hearing.

Gonzalez said Molina is remorseful and ready to pay the restitution, part of which he paid on Monday when he gave a $20,000 check to the State Attorney's Office.

"He's going to have to work," Gonzalez said. "When you put yourself in a situation like he did, you have to pay the piper."

Of the other defendants already sentenced in the case, Elden Siuta, 18, and Siuta O. Siuta, 22, both received three years' probation after admitting to blocking people from helping Stern during the attack. McHugh was sentenced to the 450 days in jail he had spent awaiting trial in addition to serving a year under house arrest and paying the Sterns $75,000 in restitution.

In addition to the defendants who took plea deals, the State Attorney's Office dropped charges against three people originally arrested in the beating. The men -- all relatives of the Siuta brothers -- had sat in jail for eight months until inaccurate identifications along with wildly conflicting witness accounts forced prosecutors to dismiss their cases.

Stern, now attending an out-of-state military academy, said he is hoping to go to college in the fall to study business.

"I'm doing great and I'm a whole different person," he said.

Jon Burstein can be reached at jburstein@sun-sentinel.com or 561-832-2895.